VARIOUS MATTERS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3611, 13 February 1906, Page 4

VARIOUS MATTERS.

' The total Value of the produce, of the forest exported from Canada last year was $29,934,639. If the Nicaragua canal is finished Meibom* will be 1.350 miles nearer to New York than to Liverpool by alltea route.

The worst banking crib's of the last century was in 1839, when the Bank of England was saved from failure by the Bank of France. Taking the population of Italy as 100, that of the United Kingdom is 128, of Germany, 172; of the United States, 234, and «f Russia 406. A recant test of salt-water fire service gave satisfaction. Salt water extinguishes fire much more rapidly than the same amount of fresh. The heaviest precious stone is the zircon, which is 4% times heavier than an equal quantity of water. The lightest ie the opal, only twice ns heavy as water. -Thi Walloon record has been beaten lately by a balloon sent ir> from i arls with automatic Instruments. It rose 58,000 feet, or 10% miles, and met with a temperature of 102 degrees below zero.

The state of Montana owns more than one-eighteenth of its area, for the government granted to (he state two sections in each townsiop for (he benefit of the public schools and an aggregate of 688,000 acres fox the various state institutions.

It is a peculiar fact that, although American roads are infinitely more wearing upon motor vehicles than are French highways, the automobile builders of France make their machines much heavier and stancher than are the majority of self-propelled vehicles of American manufacture.